


Rains in the spring, blooms in the summer

by itubainaretro



Category: WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: M/M, other characters are mentioned too, scouts summer camp AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25455316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itubainaretro/pseuds/itubainaretro
Summary: In a parallel universe Robbe and Sander met at the scouts summer camp when they were 10 and every year since then they waited for summer to see each other again.
Relationships: Sander Driesen/Robbe IJzermans
Comments: 2
Kudos: 73





	Rains in the spring, blooms in the summer

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by Willem DS' scout's pic when I first saw it a few months ago and him showing off his scout's skills lighting up a fire on Noa's stories a few weeks ago, but if you see any inaccuracy in terms of scout's things, I'm sorry, I have never been a scout in my life.
> 
> Also, English is not my first language and no one proof read this so all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

In a parallel universe Robbe and Sander met at the scouts summer camp when they were 10 and every year since then they waited for summer to see each other again.

-

Robbe and Sander were the type of best friends that did everything together and no one could separate them - everyone stopped trying eventually -, so when someone was looking for one of the boys they made sure to look for both of them, because if you found one you’d find the other too, probably up to no good, like that time when Sander convinced Robbe to go to the kitchen at 3 am so they could eat chocolate ice cream when they were 12, or that time when Robbe dared Sander to jump in the lake at midnight even though he knew the water would be cold despite the warm weather and Sander did it, naked, because he was never one to back down from a challenge, when they were 13.

-

Even though most of the time they were causing mayhem or getting into trouble, people would still notice how Robbe and Sander also took care of each other and treated the other gently, like that time when they were 14 and had an outdoors task and were only allowed to go back to their lodge when they were finished with everything and it started raining and they stayed outside for a good hour before finishing their task and Robbe ended up with the flu. Everyday after that everyone at the camp saw Sander piling up food or making some tea at the dining hall to take up to their lodge because Robbe wasn’t feeling well enough to come down to eat with everyone yet and Sander refused to let him be alone - even though Robbe said countless times it was okay - so he would make sure to grab Robbe’s favourite snacks and balance everything in his arms to knock on their door with the biggest smile ever and say room service arrived.

Or that time when they were 15 and Sander sprained his ankle while hiking and even though Robbe was smaller than him he made sure to give Sander a piggyback ride all the way back to the nursery so he could get his ankle examined and taken care of. After they put a splint on Sander’s ankle and gave him some medication for the pain, Robbe helped him get to their room and after getting Sander to his bed, Robbe looked at him seriously and asked him to never scare him like that ever again and gave Sander a kiss on the forehead, saying he’d be right back with some food. Before Robbe left Sander grabbed his hand saying he shouldn’t be that worried, it was just a stupid ankle and Robbe replied saying it didn’t matter, he hated seeing Sander hurt. Sander smiled and gave Robbe’s hand a thank you kiss and asked for a piece of chocolate cake, since Robbe was being so nice to him.

-

When they were 16 everyone noticed how things changed between them.

It was no surprise to anyone how close and attached they were, but in that summer it all looked like something more, like something _meaningful_.

As always they spent most of their time together, only being apart when they were assigned different partners for outdoors tasks, but their dynamic certainly had changed. On the rare occasions they weren’t together it seemed as though they weren’t paying attention to anything until someone mentioned the other’s name and it was enough to bring a smile to their faces, making them keep going with their tasks with renewed energy, as if they remembered that the sooner they finished what they were doing the sooner they would be able to be together again.

Their eyes seemed to linger on one another for longer than necessary and so did their hands when they did simple things such as shoo away a fly from the other’s arm, clean a patch of dirt from the other’s shorts, stained from when they sat on the floor during their break, put a strand of hair behind the other’s ear from where it fell on their eyes or how more often than not they held hands when they thought no one was looking. The smiles they shared seemed to hold a secret only they knew about.

Even the instructors noticed how attached they’d become from the countless times they were sent to their lodge to check on them because both boys were late to some early morning task, just to get there and catch Robbe and Sander sharing a bed, sleeping safely intertwined in each other’s arms. They always pretended to not see anything, not wanting to break their little bubble, and simply left the room, knocked on their door and shouted _Driesen and Ijzermans, you have 5 minutes to be ready and outside your dorm, otherwise we’re breaking down the door._ They never broke down any doors, they never needed it, because every single time, 4 minutes and half later both boys were stumbling out of the door, laughing and finishing up the knots on their scarves, mumbling how sorry they were and promising it would never happen again. The instructors pretended to believe, shaking their heads and sending them off to their tasks, laughing at them being so ridiculously into their own little world that they were oblivious to the fact that every single instructor had a copy key to all the lodges and no doors would ever have to be broken down.

-

Their goodbye that year was hard. Both Robbe and Sander knew what they wanted but were too afraid to do anything about it, because they didn’t want to ruin their friendship over some feelings that could or could not be reciprocated by the other, so in the end they did nothing.

On the bonfire night, their last night at the summer camp, they were clingier than usual, almost glued to each other while talking to other people, goofing around and enjoying the last bits of summer together. When they got back to their lodge they went to bed together and spent the entire night talking in hushed voices, tracing random shapes and promises on each other’s skin and sometimes innocently kissing the closest part of each other’s body, hands, forehead, cheek, arm, just for the sake of enjoying their last moments of being in each other’s arms.

On the next day when they went to say their goodbyes they hugged tightly for almost 10 minutes straight, saying how they were already counting the days to see each other again, promising to stay in touch and finally letting go with a kiss to the other’s cheek.

On the bus ride home Robbe found a drawing on his jacket and smiled when he saw himself and Sander smiling at each other by a fire - it was a memory from the day they learned how to start a fire using dry branches and that particular moment etched on a white piece of paper was when Robbe’s fire finally ignited and he yelled in victory, thanking Sander for the help. Sander must’ve slipped the drawing on his pocket when they were hugging and Robbe laughed when he thought about how much they were alike, cause he too had slipped a piece of paper on Sander’s pocket when they were hugging, a little note that said “ _I love you and I already miss you. - Robbe_.”

-

The year passed by and Robbe couldn’t wait to get back to the camp, but as soon as he got there his world came crashing down when he realized Sander, always the first one of them to get to the camp, wasn’t there.

He spent the whole day waiting for Sander to arrive but he never came. Not after breakfast, not after lunch and not even after dinner.

After some days Robbe gave up on waiting for him and accepted the fact that he wouldn’t see Sander that summer and depending on what life had reserved for them, never again.

So, at 17 Robbe forced himself to meet new people and make new friends at the summer camp. No one was like Sander, but he stopped feeling so alone all the time when he met the brightest scout he’s ever seen, Yasmina, her best friend Zoë and her boyfriend, Senne. After some time their group started getting bigger, when Zoë met Jana and she joined the group, bringing Lucas, her Dutch cousin, with herself. Some days later, when they were used to each other and comfortable enough as a group of friends, Lucas introduced Jens, the other guy who was always with him, as his boyfriend. Everyone cheered up at the news and welcomed him to the group and Robbe was happy for him, he really was, he just couldn’t help himself from feeling a bit sad at the thought that maybe that year it could be Sander and him in that position, but life had other plans.

-

At 18 Robbe came back to the summer camp and he had a bittersweet feeling when he got there and realized that it would be the last year he would be coming to the camp as a scout, that if he wanted to come back again on the next year he would be coming back as an instructor, to help the little kids, just like he was once helped. He felt a bit sad about it because he loved being a scout and he loved learning something new everyday, so leaving that behind would hurt, but he felt happy at the thought of being able to help those lost little kids that came back every year, full of energy and wonderment at the thought of becoming a scout. He still remembers the feeling of coming to the summer camp for the first time, it was probably the best day of his life.

When he got to the dining hall he was happy to see Yasmina, Zoë, Senne - now a camp instructor -, Jana, Lucas and Jens again. They had lunch together and talked for hours, filing each other in about what had been going on in the lives for the past year.

Later that day, Robbe went back to his lodge and was surprised to see he wasn’t alone. There, on the other bed, with his back to him, was a boy with platinum hair and before Robbe could even think about anything to say he saw a green duffel bag right beside the boy, and Robbe _knew_ that bag, he would recognize it from a thousand miles away. He remembered all the secrets that bag used to hold, from prohibited snacks, cameras, sketchbooks and pencils, to water bottles and only once, cigarettes.

“Sander?”

Sander turned around, looked at Robbe with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and looked down almost immediately. It was a lot to take in: his hair was different, he seemed taller, older, his face looked sad and tired, like he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in forever, and as much as that was Sander standing right there in front of him, Robbe still felt like he didn’t recognize him at all. He felt like he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what happened to the boy whose smile was once brighter than the sun, who could make Robbe feel a whirlwind of emotions all at once and at the same time make him feel like nothing else existed besides the both of them and that all he’s ever known was peace when they were in each other’s company.

Some part of him knew that was still Sander, though, the same Sander he’s always loved, but he didn’t know what to do. Robbe didn’t know if he could come closer and envelop him in a hug like he’s been dying to do since last summer, if he could talk to him and ask all the questions swimming in his mind, if he could finally say the words he wrote on that note two years ago out loud like he’s been dying to for so long, so much so that he felt like they were itching his lips, or if it was better to pretend nothing happened. Robbe was lost. Sander decided his next move for him, though, and said he was thirsty and left to go grab a bottle of water.

-

Days passed by and Robbe still didn’t know what to do. Their relationship was obviously shaken and he swore that if he could go back in time he would go back to that day he wrote the note and tear the paper into a million pieces if it meant getting his Sander back now.

He couldn’t stand seeing Sander like that anymore, treating him like he was just some random roommate and not a boy he loved too, because Robbe knew Sander loved him. He didn’t make up the things that happened in the last summer they were together, he didn’t hallucinate those things, they happened and everyone saw it and it was even worse when he saw how people looked at him now, like they pitied him for being kicked aside by his own very best friend.

So one day, after their usual afternoon tasks, when Robbe came back to his room he confronted Sander, in the gentlest way he could, asking him if he wanted to switch rooms or ask for another roommate, because if he didn’t feel comfortable with Robbe there he would be out of the room on the same day. He could spend the night at Lucas and Jens’ lodge, it was not like they used both beds anyway. No one would say anything.

Sander looked confused after Robbe said that, asking why would he ever be uncomfortable around him.

“Because of what I said, actually, because of what I gave you the last time we saw each other? You saw the note, didn’t you? That’s why you didn’t come last year, because you don’t feel the same way and didn’t know how to face me? That’s why you haven’t looked me in the face since you got here. I know it’s because of this. It’s okay, Sander, I can take rejection. Just, please, end this because I can’t take it anymore, it’s _killing_ me.” Robbe said all at once.

When Robbe saw Sander looking for his wallet and opening it he rolled his eyes thinking about how ridiculous the situation was, but before he could leave the room Sander grabbed his arm and showed him his wallet, and right there, next to a photo they took on the last summer they were together, on a rainy day when all their schedule was cancelled and they spent the entire day in bed listening to music, talking and taking silly pictures on Sander’s camera, was Robbe’s note.

“I love you, too, Robbe. Always have and probably always will.” Sander admitted with a sigh. “It scared me when I first realized it, you know? But then I also realized that loving you was the simplest and easiest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Loving you came as natural as breathing to me, so I didn’t have to be scared. I didn’t _want_ to be scared.”

Robbe couldn’t believe the words that were pouring out of Sander’s mouth, so Sander continued.

“I couldn’t wait to come back here and tell you, Robbe. God, I spent so many days thinking about how it would go.” He chuckled. “I had this big plan of telling you on the day it would mark 7 years we’ve met. I’d take you to the lake where we first met, do you remember where it was? We’d have a picnic and I’d tell you then.” Sander’s smile slowly disappeared. “But the end of the year came and some things happened and after months of going to several doctors I was diagnosed.”

Robbe’s breath hitched.

“I’m bipolar, Robbe.” Sander’s eyes were gleaming with unshed tears. “I was diagnosed by the end of spring and I didn’t know if it was a good idea for me to come to the summer camp, and even if it was I didn’t know if I wanted to. I was afraid things would change between us if I told you and I was still getting used to my medication, so I didn’t know if coming here was a smart choice. So I didn’t.” He took a deep breath. “I know I could’ve messaged you but I wanted to tell you in person, it didn’t seem fair to tell you all of this over a text message. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Robbe whispered. “Please don’t ever be sorry. Not about stuff like this.”

Sander sighed.

“Can I come closer?” Robbe asked.

Sander nodded.

“Can I give you a hug?” Robbe asked.

Sander nodded again.

And when Robbe hugged him he felt like all their broken pieces were being mended together and put in their rightful places.

They stood like that for what felt like forever, with Robbe whispering sweet nothings in Sander’s ear, telling him he didn’t have to carry the weight of the world in his shoulders, that Robbe was right there with him and they would get through everything together, like they always did at camp.

“We’ll take things minute by minute.” Robbe said, finally.

“How can I do that if I’ve spent most of my life thinking about the next summer? Thinking about how many days until I got to see your stupid face and play with you again? About when I would get to hug you and smell your stupid cologne?” Sander asked playfully, but Robbe knew he meant it.

“I don’t know, love. I, too, spent the last 8 years of my life thinking about summer and wondering when I would get to see the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen in my life again, about when I would get to play with your hair - that I still need to get used to it being platinum - again. About warm hugs that felt, and still feel, like home. About sweet smiles that held all the mischief of the world in them, as well as all the love I never thought I was worthy of.” Robbe smiled softly at Sander. “So yeah, I don’t know what it’s like to live life not thinking about the future, but we’ll learn. Together, like we’ve always done. Like that time we didn’t know how to light a fire and we learned here. Or when we didn’t know the basics of first aid and we learned together after I hurt myself climbing that tree. Or when I got sick with the flu and you learned how to make soup. Or when I learned how to put your splint in the right place because you kept doing it wrong when you sprained your ankle. We did it all those times, we’ll do it again. You and I. Together.”

Sander kissed him then.

It felt like coming home.

-

Later, when they were lying in bed, sharing lazy kisses and soft touches, Sander apologized for the way he treated Robbe during those first days and Robbe told him it didn’t matter anymore, besides he was sorry for the way he spoke to him earlier too. They both agreed they would learn how to communicate better too.

They spent the rest of the day there, not knowing where one boy began and the other ended, talking about everything and nothing, catching up with each other’s lives, drifting in and out of sleep, sharing all kinds of kisses, playing with each other’s hair, knowing they would be fine.

At night, when two instructors came by to check on them because neither boy had come down to the dining room for lunch or dinner and found both boys lying beside each other on Robbe’s bed, hands intertwined and talking in hushed voices, they knew this time was different so they only muttered a _Finally, you two, it was about time_ , and left them a tray of food, shaking their heads and laughing lightly at the two young boys in love.

-

On the next day they were released from their tasks because they were the camp’s sweethearts and all the instructors had a soft spot for them. They had watched their love blossom through all those years so they decided to let them have the day off to enjoy each other’s company after so much time apart.

Robbe and Sander took the opportunity to finally have their picnic and Sander officially asked Robbe to be his boyfriend. Robbe obviously said yes and they enjoyed the rest of the day basking in each other’s presence, enjoying the food they brought and the nice weather by the lake.

Before meeting everyone by the dining room for dinner, they updated their Instagrams. 

-

At night, when they got to the dining room holding hands, everyone started cheering up and clapping their hands in excitement. Robbe swore he heard some catcalls too and he felt like he would die out of embarrassment. Sander squeezed his hand and told him to just ignore everyone as they made their way to the table where Yasmina, Zoë, Senne, Jana, Lucas and Jens were waiting for them with huge smiles on their faces.

Robbe introduced Sander to everyone and almost had a heart attack everytime he heard Sander introducing himself as Robbe’s boyfriend.

-

The weeks went by faster than Robbe and Sander wanted to, and when they realized it was already bonfire night they felt bittersweet about it. They spent the entire night beside each other, sharing a blanket and their food, reminiscing about the great summer they spent together and talking about future plans. Robbe was ecstatic to learn that Sander got a scholarship on a university 15 minutes away from where he lived, feeling relieved at the fact that they wouldn’t have to try the long distance relationship thing ever again. Sander felt proud when he heard Robbe and Yasmina talking about how they’d be study partners next fall, choosing to study biomedicine on Robbe’s hometown University.

Sander became the camp’s official photographer and took pictures of everyone all night long, but at the end of the night only one picture mattered to him.

-

On the last day, after saying their goodbyes, Robbe posted another picture on his Instagram.

Some minutes later he received a text.

_**From Sander:** I love you and I already miss you. Can’t wait to see you again in a couple of weeks._

_**To Sander:** I already miss you too. I’m counting down the days. _

-

At 19, Robbe and Sander came back to the summer camp as instructors and everyone considered them legends. They were everyone’s favourites instructors because besides being great scouts and teaching the kids everything they needed to know, Robbe and Sander were also great at pretending they didn’t see when kids were up to no good, getting themselves into trouble and pranking each other. They wanted the kids to have as much fun as they once had.

-

Some years later, when they see a couple of girls who seem to be attached to each other’s hip, playing all the time and spending all of their time together, much like they did all those years ago, they only hope the girls don’t take as much time as they did to finally realize what is going on and do something about it.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the very first fic I post here, so I'm sorry if it sucks and thank you for reading it! I hope you liked it! And if you want to, let me know what you think!
> 
> This fic is also on Tumblr (@itubainaretro)! Come talk to me there if you want to!
> 
> xx


End file.
